The Englishman: Why, ten years ago, did the privileged Lord Henry Child suddenly betray country, family and friends to flee to Moscow? In so doing, he not only becomes the most astonishing traitor of the twentieth century but eventually endangers the life of the daughter he adores. Lady Pandora Child: At nineteen the worlds top model, at twenty an instant film star, a beautiful, sensuous girl. But beneath her success flickers a shadow cast on the day her father deserted her. Nilus Dollsky: An impish, satanic Russian film director of international stature, a self-proclaimed genius, whose appeal to women is legendary. Why is he encouraged to defect to the West, and are there any grounds for the suspicions about his sexual predilections? Mulder Khor: The ruthless head of Department 12 of the KGB. Why and to what end is he being manipulated by the Englishman? Valentin Buikov: A KGB man whose love affair is indirectly responsible for the violent deaths of several people on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Rufus Gunn: Playboy, paramour of royalty and Pandoras dearest friend, who in crisis reveals an unexpected strength. These are the main characters of a brilliant, subtle novel of international intrigue that switches effortlessly between Moscow and London, Venice and Leningrad, Buckingham Palace and a Russian dacha, Val dIsere and the Berkshire countryside. Peter Evanss fast-paced thriller, which examines the duplicities of sexual passion, of loyalty to family and comrades, and of political and personal sacrifice, offers spellbinding storytelling at its best.